Reviews by Lumin
adrift
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Visit a land of magical wonder and very poor hygeine., August 22, 2011Looking at file sizes, Camelot was the heftiest game in the 2010 SummerComp, continuing Finn's trend of writing longer IF, something I always think we see too little of these days. (I suspect because it requires a whole bunch of work...) I probably spent the longest on this entry than on any of the others, and while, thinking back on it, if you simply listed the required puzzles it may not seem all that substantial, the truth is there is a LOT to do here--Camelot is one of those games that really rewards the player for taking the time to poke around the world trying different things, something I also haven't seen that often recently.
The puzzles that are there seemed a little more challenging than the usual, requiring some thought. (theoretically a good thing except I suck at logic...) Close attention to detail is definitely important here...there were a couple of points where I became seriously stuck and had to PM the author, only to realize the answer had been right under my nose all along. Also, this game has convinced me to include more secret passages for the player to discover in my own WIPs; I don't know what it is about the things, but they rock and always make me feel all smart and stuff when I figure them out. :)
On the whole I really enjoyed this game, and though ALL of the eligible entries were impressive in one way or another this year, for me at least Camelot managed to edge its way out to the head of the pack. The only real criticism I can even think of has to do with the plot--other than a handful of typos that I believe have already been fixed in a newer version, the writing was excellent, with lots of attention to the detail of the setting.
It's actually the realism there that hurts it a bit, in my mind. For the most part the player doesn't find themselves in some shiny fairy-tale Camelot, but a fairly convincing depiction of a medieval castle. (The description of the kitchen alone made me want to scrub down all my counters with bleach, and then shower in the stuff for good measure...and don't even get me started on the dungeon.)
The plot, however, gets pretty silly once it's revealed--not that that's a bad thing in itself, and there are some genuinely amusing moments there, it's just that it doesn't mesh well with the setting at all. And though it's probably beside the point, I never did figure out why it was assumed the main character would be able to fix everyone's problem in the first place...though for the sake of MY (precious, precious) MIMESIS I finally did come up with the theory that, in addition to being an underachiever he was also a gigantic nerd; Merlin must have seen all the Dungeons & Dragons supplementals in his apartment and mistakenly come to the conclusion he was an expert on the subjects. :P
Did I mention the game has pirates?!, August 21, 2011First, a disclaimer! I might very well be incapable of being objective here just because I don't think I can ever get enough of Thingamus's writing style. Even simple things like the fact that my character 'swaggereth east' instead of just, you know, moving there, puts a huge grin on my face. (Also, pirates!)
So, that out of the way, in my incredibly biased opinion this was ridiculously fun to play. Everything I did or looked at had an appropriately piratey description, and I don't think I ever even saw a single default message to break the mood.
This game also has to be one of the newbie-friendliest ones I've ever seen, with a handy (in-character) tutorial, objects with clearly described uses to remove the possibility of GTV, and a simple, straightforward plot. (Also, pirates!)
If I reeeeaaally force myself, I suppose I could still think of two minor nitpicks. First, at one point a ship shows up, but afterwards is not actually visible when you look around. (Though due to the nature of this ship and its crew, I suppose if one were creative enough it could be argued that that could actually make sense, though I'm pretty sure that wasn't the intention from a gameplay standpoint.)
Secondly, the game is way, way too short. That simple, straightforward plot is a double-edged sword; without more puzzles, or at least more complex ones, it means the game is over just when it feels like is should be beginning. I wanted more content, a bigger island and a treasure that was trickier to find.
...for that matter, remotely realistic expectation or not, after leaving the island I wanted to sail around the ocean drinking grog and having adventures on the high seas. I choose to believe that the author is working on making this so EVEN AS I TYPE THIS and nothing will ever persuade me otherwise.
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